13 service tax officers suspended

PTIOct 19, 2005, 06.40pm IST

NEW DELHI: The Central Board of Excise and Customs on Tuesday suspended 13 service tax officials for allegedly accepting bribes."CBEC will not tolerate any such action and very strict action will be taken against the erring officials," said CBEC chairman M Jayaraman.Officials in the CBEC said 13 officials were suspended after CBEC conducted a departmental inquiry following an expose by a private TV channelAaj Takon service tax officials allegedly accepting bribes.Erring officials may lose their jobs or have to pay a heavy penalty or face punishment. Such officials could also be put behind bars under the Prevention of Corruption Act, Jayaraman warned.The department is also looking into the revenue leakages that may have taken place due to this incident. "We are contemplating strict action against tax evaders also," he said.